The Commanding Self
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Narrated by:
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David Ault
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By:
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Idries Shah
About this listen
The Commanding Self, in Sufic terminology, is that mixture of the primitive and conditioned responses, common to everyone, which inhibits and distorts human progress and understanding. This audiobook was described by Shah as the key to understanding his entire corpus of work. While complete in itself as an anthology of hitherto unpublished work, it serves to illustrate and amplify Idries Shah’s preceding books on the Sufi Way.
In its introduction, he writes, "Thousands of books and monographs have been written on Sufism and the Sufis, almost all of them from the point of view of other ways of thinking. The result has been chaos in the literature, and confusion in the reader. Over the centuries, some of the world’s most eminent scholars have fallen into the trap of trying to examine, access or consider the Sufi phenomenon through a set of culture-bound preconceptions".
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"The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this." This is the key statement of Miracles, in which C. S. Lewis shows that a Christian must not only accept but rejoice in miracles as a testimony of the unique personal involvement of God in his creation.
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sound, shrewd, well articulated, and well read.
- By Andrew on 09-17-15
By: C. S. Lewis
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How to Live on 24 Hours a Day
- By: Arnold Bennett
- Narrated by: Eric Brooks
- Length: 1 hr and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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This classic personal time-management book, originally published in 1908, has inspired generations of men and women to live deliberate lives. Not just another collection of timesaving tips, this book is more of a challenge to leave behind mundane everyday concerns, focus on pursuing one's true desires, and live the fullest possible life. Reflection, concentration, and study techniques make it easier to accomplish more truly rewarding undertakings than anyone ever dreamed possible.
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Well written, well read.
- By Lauren on 02-21-12
By: Arnold Bennett
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50 Spiritual Classics
- By: Tom Butler-Bowdon
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Discover the books that have already changed the lives of millions. This unabridged guide to the literature of the spirit surveys 50 of the all-time classics, giving you their key ideas, insights, and applications - everything you need to know to start benefiting from these legendary works.
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useful as review or starting point
- By connie on 01-03-09
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The Meaning of Happiness
- The Quest for Freedom of the Spirit in Modern Psychology and the Wisdom of the East
- By: Alan Watts
- Narrated by: Kern Schmidt
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Deep down, most people think that happiness comes from having or doing something. Here, in Alan Watts’s groundbreaking third book (originally published in 1940), he offers a more challenging thesis: authentic happiness comes from embracing life as a whole in all its contradictions and paradoxes, an attitude that Watts calls the “way of acceptance.” Drawing on Eastern philosophy, Western mysticism, and analytic psychology, Watts demonstrates that happiness comes from accepting both the outer world around us and the inner world inside us,
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Good Concepts Hard to Follow Along
- By Ryan on 04-13-20
By: Alan Watts
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Secular Buddhism
- Imagining the Dharma in an Uncertain World
- By: Stephen Batchelor
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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As the practice of mindfulness permeates mainstream western culture, more and more people are engaging in a traditional form of Buddhist meditation. However, many of these people have little interest in the religious aspects of Buddhism, and the practice occurs within secular contexts such as hospitals, schools, and the workplace. Is it possible to recover from the Buddhist teachings a vision of human flourishing that is secular rather than religious without compromising the integrity of the tradition?
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Good, but repetition of old material
- By Ludwig on 02-25-18
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Plato's Meno
- By: Plato
- Narrated by: Ray Childs
- Length: 48 mins
- Unabridged
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A dialogue between Socrates and Meno probes the subject of ethics. Can goodness be taught? If it can, then we should be able to find teachers capable of instructing others about what is good and bad, right and wrong, or just and unjust.
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Why Incomplete?
- By Nelson Alexander on 08-27-16
By: Plato
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Modern Man in Search of a Soul
- By: Carl Jung
- Narrated by: Christopher Prince
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Modern Man in Search of a Soul is the classic introduction to the thought of Carl Jung. Along with Freud and Adler, Jung was one of the chief founders of modern psychiatry. In this book, Jung examines some of the most contested and crucial areas in the field of analytical psychology: dream analysis, the primitive unconscious, and the relationship between psychology and religion.
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Could have almost been an automated text reader
- By Chicken Love on 04-24-15
By: Carl Jung
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50 Self-Help Classics
- By: Tom Butler-Bowdon
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Discover the books that have already changed the lives of millions. This award-winning, unabridged guide to the "literature of possibility" surveys 50 of the all-time classics, giving you their key ideas, insights, and applications, everything you need to know to start benefiting from these legendary works.
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Surprisingly Interesting
- By Cathy on 10-15-06
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You Learn by Living
- Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life
- By: Eleanor Roosevelt
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most beloved figures of the 20th century, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt remains a role model for a life well lived. At the age of 76, Roosevelt penned this simple guide to living a fuller life. You Learn by Living is a powerful volume of enduring common sense ideas and heartfelt values. Offering her own philosophy on living, Eleanor takes listeners on a path to compassion, confidence, maturity, civic stewardship, and more. Her keys to a fulfilling life?
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Great advice
- By Jero on 09-10-20
What listeners say about The Commanding Self
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- David Shaw
- 03-12-20
An unusual depth of insight.
Whether one wants to go deeper into human psychology or increase one's understanding of Sufism this is a wonderful book which reveals new dimensions with each reading.
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- Christopher
- 12-23-19
More please!
I simply love all of the books from Idries Shah and cherish the knowledge recieved from this series. Even more so since David Ault reads them to me!
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- George R. Collison
- 07-28-22
Fantastically relevant for our times.
I got this book when it first came out. By some wizards of the publishing or typesetting art, it is definitely not the same book
I read 20 years ago, Sorcery. A very unusual writing style, exceptionally subtle, Seemingly disparate elements connect intimately on subsequent readings, The insights offered into the structure and function of the mind are unlike anything else I have ever read, Shah reaches beyond the surface on mentation to a deeper substrate that one barely perceived until he enlightens the reader of its existence, Our salvation as a species lies in understanding this book
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